Former Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols has big day at NFL Combine

The annual NFL Scouting Combine is a key opportunity for former Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols as he begins his quest toward the draft, and he made a good impression Friday.

McNichols’ second attempt was a 4.49-second mark, tied for seventh with Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, a likely first-rounder, among the 28 running backs who ran the 40.

On his first attempt, McNichols ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds, tied for 11th. Others of note include Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey, who both ran it in 4.48 seconds, while LSU’s Leonard Fournette (240 pounds) did it in 4.51.

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On Wednesday, McNichols was measured at 5-foot-9, 214 pounds. Former Boise State running back Jay Ajayi was 6-0, 221 at the 2015 combine and ran the 40 in 4.57 seconds. Doug Martin ran it in 4.55 seconds in 2012.

In the other combine events, McNichols performed well, as he had a vertical jump of 35.5 inches (tied for eighth) and a broad jump of 121 inches (tied for eighth). Another aspect of his game getting some attention was his improved pass blocking, as Pro Football Focus noted he allowed just one sack in his last 237 pass block opportunities.

Former Boise State linebacker Tanner Vallejo will do his on-field work Sunday. He has “NFL backup potential,” per NFL.com, which quoted an NFC regional scout as saying: “You might as well throw out this year because the guy was in a ton of pain all year long. It was obvious that something was wrong early in the year. I hate going all the way back to his sophomore year but I think you have to at least look at that tape to get a feel for who he might be able to become.”

About Bronco Beat

Dave Southorn joined the Idaho Statesman staff in 2013 and has covered Boise State athletics since 2005. A 2004 University of Colorado graduate, he focuses on the Broncos' basketball and football teams.